Lewis Hamilton Keeps his Cool in Baku

Following his mega weekend in Canada, Lewis Hamilton scored his 5th pole out of 8 in Baku with a time according to the data sheets, was not possible. He was in buoyant mood, and full of determination to win at this circuit, the only one he has not won in the past.

Niki Lauda said afterwards that " Only Lewis could do a lap like that!" He was almost half a second quicker than Bottas his team mate, and it had clearly given him such a boost when he was interviewed afterwards. This was Lewis's 66th pole, which puts now 2nd only to Schumaker in the all time list.

On raceday

Lewis had a good start, and pulled away. Raikennon attempted to overtake Bottas, who did his best to defend, but hit the kerb, and got a puncture. He then had to go in for a pit stop, and dropped to the back of the track Raikennon carried on. This moved Vettel into 2nd place

Sadly for Max Verstappen, he was out very early with engine failure, his 4th retirement this season. What followed after this was a race dominated by safety cars, on a track that is notoriously difficult, many drivers did not finish.

At one point, Lewis was asking the safety car to speed up, as obviously he was trying to keep the heat of his tyres in check, as were all the drivers. Just before yet another restart, Vettel who was not paying attention, hit him up the back. Lewis was unperturbed by this, no harm was done, but then Vettel waved his hands angrily, drew alongside him, and then deliberately hit him in an incident which has been described by many as " road rage."

Not a good day for Lewis

It was announced that the stewards were looking into the incident, and the race continued. Lewis continued to dominate it from the front, but then it became apparent that his headrest was loose, and because of safety reasons, he had to pit again, which of course was going to cost him the win.

After a lot of deliberation, Vettel was given a 10 second stop start penalty, and 3 points on his licence. Because of earlier transgressions from last year, he now has only 3 more points before he gets a race ban. He was now down to 6th place and Lewis was 7th. They both drove up the field, and the final positions were Vettel 4th and Lewis 5th.

The race was won by Ricciardo, he had no team mate to race him, and no Force Indias to battle against, as they both retired. Bottas was able to get back up courtesy of the safety cars, and he overtook Stroll on the line to claim a very creditable second place. Later Raikennon retired after damage from flying debris

Lance Stroll did very well to get 3rd place, and I am sure he has a very bright future. His father looked on proudly with tears in his eyes, when his son was on the podium. When interviewed afterwards, he confessed that he had never expected to be up there, but he thoroughly deserved it. When incidents happen in races like that, anyone should grab the opportunity to better themselves.

Afterwards

When interviewed Vettel said that Lewis had brake tested him, but later this was denied by the stewards after examining data. He also felt Lewis should get a punishment, and at no point could this deluded man accept he had done anything wrong. Most people are complaining that the FIA were not strict enough with the punishment, and with his out of control temper, he will more than likely do it again.

When Lewis was interviewed he was cool and calm. He said he had not brake tested Vettel at all, and didn't have a problem when he hit him in the back, but did have a problem with Vettel deliberately driving into him. He also spoke about being a role model for young kids, and how Vettel had thoroughly disgraced himself with his behaviour.

I am a Lewis fan, but I would not be if he ever behaved like that. Lewis always makes me proud, not just as a driver, but as a decent god fearing, and kind human being. He is the most popular driver in Formula One, and known all over the world as a true ambassador of the sport. I admire his honesty and fairness at all times, he never resorts to cheating tactics to win. Only last week Paddy Lowe referred to him as being "not ruthless enough like Senna was."

As for Vettel, I have nothing but contempt for him, and I do hope young people going into sport don't copy his churlish attitude. When he won his 4 championships he just drove out in a dominant car, he had no-one to challenge him, as Webber's car was always breaking down. Now that he has to fight to win he can't cope. The pressure is on, and I know it will spur Lewis on even more, which means we will be seeing more temper tantrums from Vettel. Come on FIA, do the right thing, and ban him until he learns to control his volatile temper.My thanks to Wikipedia for the images, and Youtube for the video

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